Tensions grow after Labour praise for Magee

A second Labour junior minister at the Department of Health has praised the work of outgoing HSE chief executive Cathal Magee.

It comes amid continuing tension between Fine Gael and Labour over Mr Magee’s imminent departure.

Kathleen Lynch said she had “huge respect” for Mr Magee because of the manner in which he had done his job.

Health Minister and Fine Gael deputy leader James Reilly last week denied that he was effectively forcing Mr Magee’s departure as part of his plans to overhaul the HSE.

News of Mr Magee’s imminent resignation sparked a row between the coalition partners, as Labour was kept in the dark over the issue.

Mr Reilly told the Taoiseach but failed to tell either the Tánaiste or the weekly Cabinet meeting last Tuesday.

As a result, the Tánaiste and his Labour colleagues said they learned of Mr Magee’s plans to resign from media reports.

Labour expressed dismay that Mr Magee was leaving, describing him as a very able administrator.

Roisin Shortall, the junior minister at the department responsible for primary care, said Mr Magee’s departure represented “a significant blow to the health service and in this very challenging time of severe (budgetary) pressures he will be badly missed”.

Ms Lynch, the junior minister with responsibility for disability and mental health services, similarly praised Mr Magee’s record yesterday.

Mr Magee “has overseen a service that has had €2.5bn taken out of it and lost almost 10,000 in relation to staffing and yet we have a system that’s still standing and by anyone’s estimation doing a very good job, looking at the constraints on it”, she told RTÉ radio.

However, Ms Lynch did not criticise Mr Reilly, either over Mr Magee’s departure or the projected €500m budgetary over-run in the health services this year.

Mr Reilly has been given until the end of September to bring forward measures to tackle the overrun, with the Taoiseach saying no additional money would be provided.

Asked if the overrun was simply a case of Mr Reilly not doing his sums right at the start of the year, Ms Lynch said: “I wouldn’t concede that at all.

“Every minister, including myself, gets advice as to how much the system will cost. There have always been over-runs in the health service. That’s not good enough. We can’t afford that anymore.

“But in terms of the overall budget, if you’re looking at €250m, then it’s a fraction of what the overall budget is, and it will have to be reined in.”